Jean-Jacques Dessalines steps into the power vacuum left behind by Toussaint L’Ouverture, and helps to lead the Haitian people to a final victory against the French. But while the newly created nation of Haiti had secured its independence, its woes were far from over.

A French expeditionary force under General Charles Leclerc invades Saint-Domingue with orders to oust Toussaint L’Ouverture from power. However, despite meeting with initial successes, the French soon find that their task will prove far more difficult than initially expected. 

Toussaint L’Ouverture ascends to the zenith of his power following his defeat of Andre Rigaud in a brief but bloody civil war. But as one rival exits the stage, another enters: First Consul of France Napoleon Bonaparte.

As the war that had ravaged Saint-Domingue for the past 5 years appears to be coming to an end, Toussaint L’Ouverture begins to chart a new, independent course for the colony. An attempt by the French government to reassert their control threatens to destabilize the colony once again.

As the War of the First Coalition continues to unfold in Saint-Domingue, the French republicans are able to turn their fortunes around thanks to the leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture, a former slave who was quickly becoming the most powerful political and military figure in the entire colony.

When Britain and Spain declare war on the French Republic, the situation in Saint-Domingue takes a turn for the worse. In the face of these new challenges, the republicans resort to extraordinary measures in an attempt to court the former slaves over to their cause.

Revolution begins in earnest in Saint-Domingue as the colony's massive slave population rises up and takes vengeance into their own hands. Faced with the complete collapse of the old order, the whites and the free people of color attempt to come to an understanding.

When a revolution breaks out in the streets of Paris in 1789, it is not long before its effects reach Saint-Domingue. Inspired by the ideals of the nascent French Revolution, the colony's distinct socio-economic and racial groups begin to fight amongst one another in order to make their respective visions of the colony's future into reality. 

In the late 18th century, the French colony of Saint-Domingue was among the most profitable in the world. A highly stratified, caste-based society premised on the ruthless exploitation of slave labor, it would not be long before the contradictions inherent in the system would be laid bare for all to see.